Blood
by x The Chichi Slaughter House x
Summary: Stumbling forward, the taller Saiyan ran across the forest floor, falling to his knees... Number 17. GokuxVegeta. -Oneshot-


**Blood**

By The Chichi Slaughter House

**Warnings:** Yaoi, GokuxVegeta, implied sex, vampirism, character deaths, etc.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragonball Z, Goku, Vegeta, the rest of the characters or anything else.

Number 17 of the 100 themes challenge.

--

Stumbling forward, the taller Saiyan ran across the forest floor, falling to his knees next to the fallen body of the only other member of his race, filled with nerves as he surveyed the damage that had been done. Moving a shaky hand, he placed it into Vegeta's hair. The blood was thick and beginning to clot; staining his hand in the rich red one would associate with the liquid, it seeming oddly like a mockery of the royal colours, and, of course, the Prince's title.

Pulling his hand away, he couldn't help but stare as the strong smell assaulted his senses and his vision became focused on the substance, having the undeniable desire to lick his fingers clean of it and taste it. It was almost hypnotic to gaze upon, and just the scent was enough to make his head swim and cause him to feel dizzy. The feeling was almost that of being drunk – though the younger Saiyan did not know that himself.

Swallowing, he heard a moan and looked to the prone figure on the ground, wondering if he was going to be alright. The signs of life were quite encouraging, but the amount of blood, however, was not. Biting his lip, he considered collecting a Senzu bean, but deep down, he knew that Vegeta would just get offended and angry.

And that was usually not worth doing.

Any time he had upset the volatile Prince in the past, he had received at least one smack across the face, and they were none-too gentle either. In fact, as time went on and their bodies grew weaker, we could have sworn that the hits had gotten harder – that or he was getting weaker than he had first thought. However, every time it happened, the elder Saiyan seemed to strain more and more to be able to hurt him, and though he had worried about it, he had never brought it up. Another smack to the face was not a pleasant option.

--

This had all started with what had appeared to be a playful attack from the elder Saiyan. Many years ago, the pair had stopped their rivalry and become somewhat like a pair of best friends; even going so far as to be around each other without arguing or fighting; just hanging about and making jokes and pleasantly enjoying each other's company.

That was when they were relatively young – of course, in Saiyan years as opposed to human ones – and it had worked out for them. They were always waiting around and training for the next big threat, but after the dregs of the Majin Buu disaster, nothing new had come along, and the planet had been left in peace for going on a hundred years now.

All that power, gone to waste.

As part of a race that was bloodthirsty by nature, they had found it hard to keep control over themselves, especially as time had gone on and their families and friends had slowly died off, leaving them as the last of their group, bar their grandchildren and their children.

All with Saiyan blood, but diluted by that of humans to the point that most Saiyan traits had already started to vanish from the bloodline; each child becoming progressively weaker than their parents until their strength was the only thing different about them. And yet, it was not that different from the strongest humans, whose powerlevels continued to rise into the two hundreds; much stronger than they were, but far too weak to defend the planet from any threat.

Humans had enough problems cleaning up after their own damages to the planet without even considering another race trying to take over.

And that was why they had stayed so long.

Nothing to do with their offspring at all; in fact, they were all too quick to be avoided by them until one day, they hadn't known what was going on in their families for at least a decade. And that day was today.

Meeting up with the other to just discuss the usual things – power of the humans, what they had done since they saw each other last, their useless uncaring families – Goku had walked into the forest near the mountains when a ki blast had come out of nowhere and grazed past his cheek. Automatically sensing a battle, he had sought out a power or a visual of where the individual would be, surprised to spot Vegeta in the other side of the clearing, ki blasts in both hands, a smirk on his face that showed all his years.

Smirking back, he had thought of it as a challenge; a test of their strength or just something for old times' sake, and had responded to the blasts with some of his own. But instead of just grazing the Prince like he had intended, one had hit him square in the side of the head, and his body had tumbled to the floor instantly, leaving the situation as it was now.

--

Tense, he found for once, that he had no idea what to do. There was no one to call for help, no one's advice to seek nor medical aid available. Darkly, he blamed their meeting place for being so far away from any form of civilisation, yet he knew that this had always been the best place, and that they both enjoyed it here.

There was simply no other place for them.

Looking back down to his life-long companion, he saw vague signs of life; much like the ones he had seen before, but without any improvement. Frowning, he looked back to his hand, studying the blood, deciding to give the other more time before getting any form of help. He knew it was dangerous to do so, but found himself unable to think of anything else, his eyes straying back to the ever-growing crimson puddle upon the forest floor.

Licking his dry lips, he yet again felt the urge to lick the blood away. It had never really bothered him; it flowed from his body and those of his opponents when he fought, it always seemed to linger in his clothes…blood was practically the single thing that had always been with him his whole life.

But it had never affected him like this.

He had never wanted to _taste_ it…

When Brolli had licked away the blood on his cheek in their battle, he had always thought that it was disgusting and been disturbed and uncomfortable with it. But now, he could sort-of see why he did it. Trembling, he lifted his bloody fingers to his mouth and, in a tentative way, licked the blood from the tips.

It was like a light switch had been flicked as the taste of the blood assaulted his senses. The flavour was much richer and delightful than he had imagined; thick, coppery…and entirely addictive. The taste from his fingers was just not enough; he had to have more. Eyes lidding, he looked down to the wound on his friend's head, sluggishly pulling him against himself, licking the blood away slowly.

The reality that he was licking Vegeta's head didn't really seem to occur to him until he felt the body stir, eyes widening as he jerked his face back, mouth and chin smothered in blood. Now not under the spell, he could see how pale his friend was starting to look; deciding that getting a Senzu immediately was the best option. Cuddling the weakening body close, he lifted two fingers to his head and appeared at his home, rushing to the small Senzu plants as quickly as possible, plucking one for his older companion. Pushing the bean into Vegeta's mouth, he got no response and cursed, taking the bean back and chewing on it before pressing their lips together, force-feeding it to him.

Slowly drawing back, he looked to the plants, feeling saddened. All his life, they had been there to aid them in their fight, and now they were barely growing at all under his care. A few years ago, Korin had simply died in his sleep, and the moment he had found out, he had liberated the plants and tried to raise them as best as he could. Unfortunately the plants had not flourished; only a few small beans growing every now and then, but for this, they were enough.

This was confirmed when the wound slowly healed in front of his eyes and he breathed a sigh of relief, quite forgetting the bloody state of his face and arms. There were a few tense moments where he tried to think of what to say for when the grumpy Prince came around. No doubt there would be a glare aimed in his direction, particularly for holding onto him so closely; so intimately, though it was for no other reason than trying to help him. Vegeta had always been adverse to touch; even when it was necessary, he complained and got angry about it, which is why Goku had stopped trying. Well, up until now, anyway.

Yet he couldn't bear to let go of him, even to just lie him down against the soft bed. It felt as if he shouldn't let go, though he knew for a fact that when the Prince awoke, he was going to get a huge smack; whether once or twice he did not know, but of getting hit, he was certain.

Looking down at him, he oddly thought that the pain was worth it; just to see him alright again. The paleness did not suit Vegeta at all. Luckily, the colour was starting to come back to his cheeks, Goku moving to sit on the bed whilst cradling his body as he watched him quickly become healthier. However, he started to become nervous as he felt Vegeta shift; and the Prince's eyes opened to gaze upon him, looking tired despite his now-healthy state.

"…What are you doing, Kakarott?" The voice was barely a whisper, and then his eyes must have focused more and taken in the bloody complexion above him as he jerked in his arms, shoving at his chest. "What the hell?!" Feeling sad, the younger Saiyan allowed his arms to go slack, and the other escaped the second it was possible, gaping at him. "Your face is bloody!" Blinking, he touched his bloody fingers to his chin, moving them back to see the blood on them, quiet.

"Oh."

"Don't 'oh' me, Kakarott! Go and wash that off now!" Swallowing, he looked back to Vegeta's face, noticing a bit of blood around the Prince's mouth from when he had fed him the bean. Self-consciously, he wondered what would happen when it was noticed, believing a really harsh slap to come his way. He nodded quietly and went into his bathroom, getting warm water from the tap as he wiped his face and hands clean, all too aware of the bloody state of their clothes. Evidently the elite noticed this as well, as he came storming into the bathroom behind him. "Why are my clothes covered in—"

Tensing, Goku looked up into the mirror above his sink, noticing Vegeta staring at his reflection within it. His hair was clotted and matted with blood, it having run and stained down the side of his face as well. But what was more noticeable was the red around and upon his lips, signalling their mouth-to-mouth contact.

He expected the Prince to get angry. Fists to fly. But for a long while it was just silent, so he washed off his hands and grasped a towel in the few moments he had before Vegeta would come back to himself and start screaming or hitting him. Instead, there was a look of shock and intrigue on the elder's face, and two fingers came up to touch his lips, making the younger even more nervous than before.

"I-I'm sorry…you couldn't eat the Senzu, and—" He was cut off, however, by the Prince's voice; much calmer and monotonous than usual.

"Shut up, Kakarott." Nodding, he did as he was told, moving out of the way of the sink in case Vegeta wanted to try and clear himself up, going into his room. He was in enough shit as it was without irritating the elder further by continuing to talk when he plainly did not want to hear what he was trying to say. Unexpectedly, the smaller Saiyan followed, grabbing his arm. "I don't care why, I just want a simple answer; yes or no, Kakarott. Did you kiss me?"

"…Yes." Closing his eyes tightly, he braced himself for a punch, but it never came. Instead, soft bloodied lips moved to press to his, and his eyes opened in surprise. Of all the reactions he had thought that would get, this was the one he had suspected the least. Hands moved around his neck and pulled him closer as a tongue licked lightly at his lips, and he found himself opening his mouth and wrapping his arms around Vegeta's waist as their tongues met.

After a few moments, they pulled away, both panting softly as they still held onto each other, staring at each other's face. Quietly, he licked his lips and Vegeta looked down a little, seeming to lack the confidence of his usual self, voice soft as he spoke.

"I have been hinting for years." Gently, Goku pulled him closer, wanting to bury his face into his hair and breathe in its scent, but deterred by the blood and its thick aroma. The shorter of the pair pressed his face to his chest, shocking him with how vulnerable he was being. Slowly, he rubbed at his lower back soothingly, hoping to calm him down, feeling fingers dig into his neck at the touch. It took a few more moments for him to realise that the other was waiting for an answer, and, going red, tried to look at his face.

"Vegeta…" Slowly, the Prince lifted his head, the expression on his face showing just how scared he was; obviously thinking he was going to be rejected, despite the kiss he had just initiated. He felt his own expression soften, smiling lightly at him. "I'm sorry," he began, about to continue speaking when hands shoved at his chest, the Prince trying to get away, not looking at him. However, this only encouraged him to hold him closer, murmuring into his ear. "…that I didn't notice it earlier."

Stopping his struggling, the elder turned his head back to look at him, a mixture of confusion and a little hope on his face that just melted the taller Saiyan's heart. Overwhelmed with affection for him, he leaned down and kissed him a little forcefully, licking at his bottom lip, enquiring if he were allowed entrance. Little by little, the other's mouth opened for him, and he greedily pushed his tongue inside, joining it with the one within. Encouraged by this, the hands around his neck moved to fist in his hair, and Vegeta moved onto his tiptoes, trying to gain the advantage as he kissed back firmly; this kiss filled with the passion the other one had lacked.

Eventually, they broke apart, eyes meeting soon after. Trembling slightly from the intensity of the embrace, Goku leaned forward, licking the blood away from the places on the Prince's chin he had not already cleaned off with his hungry kiss. It was then that he realised how close their bodies were, feeling something against his thigh and knowing he himself was in the same condition.

"Let's go to bed…" Vegeta breathed, and it was all he could do to stop himself from accepting the proposal as he took a deep breath, calming down the little he could.

"…Why don't we shower instead?" He suggested softly; a little timid of asking in case it ruined the mood. Slipping out of his hold, the Prince grabbed his wrist and started pulling him in the direction of the bathroom, mumbling.

"Fine by me."


End file.
